April in May Part 3 ....I promised I'd get busy with my 'hands off the computer' artsy stuff...

After photographing a portion of the butterflies this afternoon, I went on to capture a few shots of some of my 'hands-off-the-keyboard' work. Then, it was on to cleaning up the mess I've created which in turn reminded me of one of the reasons digital work is so appealing.. Here`s just a few of the top reasons..

....no mess to clean up afterno thread bits hanging off my cuff as I reach for a glass of wine at a restaurant, only to notice the acrylic paint under my fingernails that looks like dirty mud in the candle light.

...to be continued...

Ok - maybe not wine or candle light... I'll be honest - maybe a diet pepsi and fluorescents at the local burger palace?

I lead such a glamorous life. Truth is, most of my laundry last week was in the form of pajamas...oh but they are clean and smelling so fresh.

end of digression..................................................................................................................................

On to the photos...

This project started out as a 4 x 4 inch fabric collage for a new project I'm participating in. I was longing for spring to arrive and came across a photograph I had taken a few summers back of one of my favorite flowers - Sweet Peas....favorite because of how beautifully scented these ones were in particular.

After extracting the sweet peas from their background, I created the following for the front of the square... (pardon the overly saturated colors...)

followed by a larger square background to sew it on to....

.... the back that bears the 'signature' of the person as part of the specs for this particular project....

Off to the printer, and printed onto fabric (that's why the colors above are SO saturated!) Followed by a bit of cutting and ironing on to some thick quilting stuff... we arrive at the non-digital portion of this post !

Here's the macros of various parts of the square after it fell under the sewing machine and picked up some stitches....

....and picking up a few beads along the way....and some FUN (to me) tatting gifted to me by one of my most favorite soul sister-artists....(Thanks!)

One thing seemed to automatically lead to another...and before I knew it, I had decided this would become a needle book to house my growing stash of needles... (so much for getting a head start on this new project...)

I gathered up some felt I 'knew' I'd need at some point in the future, along with the swirly black and white cotton fabric to line it...

....and since I'd already created the back part (even though I didn't really need 2dresses on it)...I left it there...

Now I have little needle book and it has come in handy so much so, that I look forward to making another one and maybe one after that! I think these may make great little birthday or shower gifts, or maybe find their way into a stocking or two at Christmas!

Very Important Image Credits:

Funky woman holding the fabric, the kaliedescopey looking spray of light for the backgrounds (although I changed the color) , plus the word FLY - all from Tumble Fish Studio at http://tumblefishstudio.etsy.com

You absolutely take sewing to new heights. I love this little needle case! How inventive. I didn't realilze it was tatting you were using for some of your sewn pieces, I always thought it was old lace from doilies etc..this is a real treasure.

WOW - both are so beautiful, especially the sweet pea needle book. I love how you shared the process along the way - from photo to sewn art. Amazing how you take your photos and create such beautiful art. I have so many photos from my travels around the world - but am still working to create more than just a photo. Thanks for the inspiration! Cheers from Brussels -

WOW - both are so beautiful, especially the sweet pea needle book. I love how you shared the process along the way - from photo to sewn art. Amazing how you take your photos and create such beautiful art. I have so many photos from my travels around the world - but am still working to create more than just a photo. Thanks for the inspiration! Cheers from Brussels -

. This blog serves as a resting spot for my explorations in arts and in crafts and my meeting place for other art bloggers in the blogging community. It is not intended to be a diary or a journal of my personal life although occasionally life spills over into it and my thoughts seek a voice visually. I hope you enjoy your visit here and leave with a smile on your face. This blog is dedicated to the memory of my artist mother, to my wonderful soulmate, our combined 4 children, and my loyal studio partner, Mini.